1954 Superman lunch box

A 1954 Superman lunch box is a rare vintage metal lunchbox featuring the character Superman.

Background

The character of Superman first appeared in 1938 in the first issue of Action Comics #1, and has remained one of the world’s most popular superhero characters ever since. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character was an instant hit and spawned a wide range of merchandise from the 1940s onwards including toys, costumes and lunchboxes.

1954 Universal Superman lunch box

The Superman lunch box released by Universal in 1954 was the first to feature the character, and is considered by many to be the holy grail for vintage lunch box collectors. The front of the box depicts Superman battling a giant gold robot as it destroys the city below with a laser and clutches a car in its hand.

The reverse shows three scenes – Superman saving a plane, breaking free from a set of chains, and smashing through a wall to save a captive woman – headed by the title “Superman – The world’s greatest adventure character”.

The sides also feature a yellow image of Superman flying etched into the red surfaces.

How much is a 1954 Superman lunch box worth?

The 1954 Universal Superman lunch box is officially the most expensive lunch box ever sold at auction. In 2003 a good condition example sold during a Mastronet.Inc auction for a price of $11,500 (excluding buyer’s premium).

In 2010 the price went higher, as an mint condition example sold at a Philip Weiss auction for a price of $11,865.

However, not all examples fetch this price and examples can be found for sale on online auction sites such as eBay for around $2,000.